In the famine, others ate Guanyin soil, but he had space to build a farm.

While Emperor Chongming was trying to calm his inner turmoil, the tranquility of the palace was quietly broken by the sound of light footsteps. The sound echoed clearly in his ears, like fine sand gently brushing across the quiet lake.

He raised his head and followed the source of the voice, and saw Wang Neng, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, slowly walk into the hall, holding a memorial steadily in his hand, as if holding a beam of light, and then placed it on the imperial desk with great respect, as if offering a heavy trust.

Emperor Chongming could not help but feel a little uneasy, secretly worrying whether there was any urgent military information or bad news about famine. So he looked at Wang Neng with suspicion and asked, "What on earth is this?"

Wang Neng bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this is a memorial submitted by Grand Secretary Li Gang, which has just been transferred from the Secretariat to the Office of the Imperial Household. I see that its content is quite important, so I dare not delay and come here to report it immediately."

In the imperial study of Emperor Chongming, the atmosphere of tension and expectation intertwined like a taut bowstring. The emperor frowned and his tone revealed displeasure. He thought Li Gang was here to report the endless fighting among the civil servants. Emperor Chongming always hated the infighting among officials. These intrigues often eroded the stability of the government and the peace of the country like termites.

However, when Li Gang's memorial was presented, Chongming's expression changed instantly. When he heard that Li Gang had requested the emperor to send him to supervise the reinforcements of various towns due to the invasion of foreign enemies and the heavy losses suffered by the capital region, a hint of surprise flashed in Chongming's eyes, like a star suddenly lit up in the dark night.

"What? He is going to inspect the reinforcements from various towns?" There was an excitement in Emperor Chongming's voice that was hard to conceal, like a spring breeze blowing across a frozen river, bringing vitality.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Neng replied, with a hint of excitement in his voice, as if even the air was vibrating.

Emperor Chongming eagerly signaled Wang Neng to read out the contents of the memorial. Wang Neng cleared his throat and began to recite Li Gang's memorial in his cadenced voice. The sentences in the memorial were full of passion and patriotism. Wang Neng was deeply moved, and his voice trembled with the fluctuations of emotion, as if every word carried a heavy responsibility and loyalty. Emperor Chongming was also moved by this loyalty. A smile appeared on his face, tears flashed in his eyes, and he silently praised in his heart: "Rare! Rare!"

After reading the memorial, Emperor Chongming had made up his mind. He decisively ordered Wang Neng: "Go, quickly draft an edict for me to send Li Gang to replace Ma Weidong as the commander-in-chief of the troops throughout the country to support the emperor."

Wang Neng was startled and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty! What should Governor Ma do?"

Emperor Chongming pondered for a moment, then ordered: "Tell him to come to the capital for investigation!"

Wang Neng's heartbeat quickened. He secretly glanced at the emperor's face and speculated in his heart. He knew that Ma Weidong had never been defeated, but the emperor had always been suspicious of him, thinking that he avoided direct confrontation with the enemy out of selfishness. In addition, the military supervisor Zhou Qiqian and the Minister of War Yang Chenhe often spoke to the emperor to seek peace. The Chongming Emperor's dissatisfaction with Ma Weidong had been going on for a long time. However, as a eunuch who held the pen, Wang Neng naturally did not have the courage and power to speculate on the emperor's mind.

Emperor Chongming stood up, walked to the desk, picked up the imperial pen and prepared to write this important imperial edict himself. He knew that this was related to the fate of tens of thousands of troops and even the safety of the entire capital, so he had to do it himself. Wang Neng could only stand aside and wait quietly for the emperor to write down the words that would determine the fate of the country.

Emperor Chongming gently put down the red brush in his hand, and his eyes swept over the handwritten edict as sharp as a hawk. After confirming that there were no omissions, he turned his head to look at Wang Neng, and his eyes flashed with an unwavering light, as if saying: "This is beyond doubt." Then, his eyes quickly turned back to the pile of documents on the table and continued his review work, as if everything had been arranged. Wang Neng understood, carefully picked up the emperor's handwritten edict and a stack of reviewed memorials, and quietly left the imperial study, fearing that he would disturb the emperor's thoughts.

Although Emperor Chongming had doubts about the ability of Grand Secretary Li Gang to serve as a commander, he was extremely disappointed with the indecision and fear of the current governor Ma Weidong. At a time when the military situation in the capital area needed to be changed urgently, Emperor Chongming made a hasty but important decision. He always had a high opinion of himself and thought he was a smart man. Even when he made decisions that might be considered stupid, he firmly believed that his wisdom and decisiveness could lead the country to victory.

Emperor Chongming longed for a victory as a powerful bargaining chip in negotiations with the Barbarian Army to get out of the current passive situation. If they could rely on a victory to support the negotiations, they would not appear so weak. However, Ma Weidong, as a staunch advocate of war, not only did not support Chongming's negotiation strategy, but also adopted conservative tactics to avoid direct confrontation with the Barbarian Army, which undoubtedly hindered Emperor Chongming's plan. Therefore, replacing the commander-in-chief in order to reverse the situation on the battlefield became the most urgent action for Emperor Chongming.

Emperor Chongming watched Wang Neng, the eunuch holding the pen, slowly leave, his mind full of thoughts. He slowly stepped into the warm room full of flowers, and saw clusters of flowers, colorful, like woven brocade. Thanks to the constant warmth in the room, these flowers can bloom freely even in the cold winter, competing for beauty, showing the tenacity and beauty of life. Although Emperor Chongming was the emperor, he was famous for his frugality. He had a special liking for flower appreciation, as if he was looking for spiritual comfort in this blooming flower. Among the many flowers, a chrysanthemum was particularly eye-catching, with its gorgeous petals, as if it was the focus of all the flowers in the warm room, exuding unyielding pride and elegant style. Emperor Chongming approached and gently stroked the petals, implying in his heart that these flowers were like ministers in the court, and only if he carefully cultivated them could he create truly outstanding ministers. He had a strong desire for control, and he would ruthlessly replace those ministers who escaped his control, just like pruning branches to ensure the healthy growth of flowers.

"I hope Li Gang will take over from Ma Weidong as governor and reverse the current military decline!" Emperor Chongming hoped silently in his heart, just like a farmer looking forward to a good harvest.

At dawn, a group of pigeons flapped their wings and soared across the towering sky of the Forbidden City, flying towards the White Pagoda of Beihai. Their wings cut through the tranquility of the early morning. The sun shone, bathing the white jade railings, ancient bronze cranes and gilded bronze tripods outside the Palace of Heavenly Purity in the sunlight, shining with golden brilliance, like witnesses of history. A palace maid hung a parrot cage between sunny pine branches and gently pulled up the green satin cage. The parrot shook its feathers in the sun, showing its vitality, as if singing a cheerful hymn for this ancient palace. At the right time, a group of eunuchs came with musical instruments, and the eunuch next to them called softly, "Your Majesty, please have a meal!"

At this moment, a handsome imperial attendant came to the emperor and respectfully invited him to have dinner. Emperor Chongming put down the red brush in his hand, responded lightly, and then stood up and walked out of the warm room with firm and powerful steps, as if every step was announcing the future and hope of the country.

Emperor Chongming was completely different from his ancestors. He was very frugal, like a shrewd housekeeper, and avoided all unnecessary waste. So when he was dining alone, he would only have 3 to 4 dishes per meal, simple yet noble. He was not like other royal relatives, who would have dozens or even hundreds of dishes per meal, almost extravagant.